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After Zip’s act was finished, I did a performance with the cats, and then followed Crimson’s act up with my own tight rope walking act.
Needless to say, by the end of the night, the last thing I wanted to do was get stuck with doing some work.
But that was the problem with living in and running a circus. There was always something to do.
Feet dragging, I walked around the circus and picked up trash, since our usual man was out with the flu.
And though it was a never-ending, thankless job, I actually enjoyed this one more than others.
The wee hours of the morning, when the ground was just starting to get wet due to the dew forming, was my favorite time of day.
I didn’t have anything to do for hours. I didn’t have to talk to anyone, or play nice. I could get lost in the act of cleaning up, and no one would bother me.
Usually.
Sometimes I was asked to do something by my sisters, but usually they left me alone because they hated picking up trash.
I’d just gotten to the part of the park that would lead to the staff’s personal quarters, when I heard talking.
Keene.
Not quite paying attention to what was being said, I continued to head in his direction.
That was until I recognized the voice.
When I heard it, I stopped cold and strained my ears so I could soak in every word that was said.
“I’ve stayed away, bro,” Hannibal murmured over the phone.
If Keene hadn’t been listening to this on speaker, I wouldn’t have heard the next part.
“Not to mention, I didn’t have to. This was, by far, a fuck up on your part,” Hannibal continued.
“Asking you to stay away from my fucked-up sister isn’t a fuck up on my part,” Keene grumbled.
My insides tightened.
Asking you to stay away from my fucked-up sister….
“I wasn’t even going to make a play,” Hannibal said. “I don’t have time, nor the desire, to have a woman right now. That doesn’t mean that you didn’t jump to conclusions.”
That yawning hole inside me just kept getting bigger and bigger.
One day, it would be so big that it’d swallow me whole.
“You’re right,” Keene admitted. “But the way you were looking at her…the only kind of men that find her attractive are the ones that are just looking for a quick lay. And trust me when I say, that’s not something she can give you.”
Tears threatened to fill my eyes, but I willed them down.
It wasn’t a secret that I wasn’t the prettiest Singh.
That was the problem, I might’ve been attractive in most situations, but being compared to one of the Singh family members, I was an absolute troll.
“I think that it’s possible you might be overly sensitive where your sister is concerned,” Hannibal murmured. “Do you have issues with her that you’d like to talk about?”
I’d like you to go ahead and get everything out in the open, was my inner monologue.
But, of course, Keene’s swift temper was legendary, and before he could think better of his words, he whipped them out, totally disregarding the fact that we needed help when it came to Tony.
“Never mind,” Keene grumbled. “I don’t fuckin’ care, nor do I need your help.”
My hands clenched into fists.
This bitch…
Angry and to the point that I was about to say things I didn’t mean, I headed in the direction of the dumpster. When I dumped my huge bag of trash—why were people so gross?—I headed to the bus.
Coffey and Simi were on the picnic table when I rolled up.
“Hey, we saved you some dinner,” Coffey stated as he saw me.
I showed him my disgusting hands and clothes. “I appreciate you saving me some, but I have so much trash juice on me that I don’t think I could eat past the smell.”
Coffey’s lips twitched. “I’ll wrap it up for you and put it in the fridge.”
I wouldn’t be eating it.
“Thanks.”
Sadly, my appetite was non-existent.
I was the one sister that didn’t have trouble keeping my weight down, mostly because when I got stressed I got ulcers. And ever since Tony started getting packages, I’d done nothing but stress.
My thoughts on my unusual diet, I yanked the handle on the bus door and went inside.
When my father had been alive, this entire bus had been his.
He hadn’t allowed any of us on it, and we’d been relegated to a small motor coach that’d definitely seen better days.
When Dad died, we threw all of his stuff into a dumpster and moved in. Then we totally destroyed the bedroom and made it into one huge walk-in closet to store all of our clothes and outfits.
Val and Crimson were on the bus, eating at the kitchen table.
I walked past them without a word and immediately went to wash my hands.
They were chattering about how so many people were out with the flu.
